"grilled cheese" news and stories

Yesterday we wrote about the Grilled Cheese and Wine pairing seminar Laura Werlin conducted several weeks ago. We also mentioned that she's already penned two books on the subject, with the latest being Grilled Cheese, Please!

We got to taste some of her creations, including our favorite, The Spaniard. Now, we want to give you the chance. Andrews McMeel Publishing is giving Slashfood readers a chance to dive into Laura's wonderful world of grilled cheese with their own copy of her new book.

Find out how to win one out of five copies after the jump.

Several weeks ago, I attended a grilled cheese and wine pairing seminar hosted by Laura Werlin, the guru of grilled cheese. You know a person really has a passion about a subject when they've penned two books about it (her newest is Grilled Cheese, Please!).

First, we sat down to four glasses of wine and a cheese plate with six different cheeses (from soft to hard). Instead of digging straight into the sandwiches, Laura had everyone taste the wines, then taste the cheeses to understand the foundation of the sandwiches. All of the cheeses on our plates and in the sandwiches came from Wisconsin and ranged from Gouda to Gorgonzola. One of the most important tips Laura shared with us was about the color of cheese vs. the wine. According to Laura, "The whiter the cheese, the lighter the wine."

Each of the unique creations we tasted came from her two books. Below are three of the six creations we tried, along with the its paired wine.

Dutch Grilled Cheese made with Marieke's Gouda
This sandwich was just full of buttery goodness. The gouda, paired with caramelized onions, cumin and rye bread with caraway was a successful balance of sweet and savory. Sometimes caramelized onions overpower the other ingredients in a dish, they complemented this sandwich because they were combined with Gouda -- a strong, distinctive cheese. The Cotes du Rhote was complex but let all of the flavors of the sandwich come through.
Paired with: Jean Luc Columbo "La Redonne" 2007 Cotes de Rhone (Rhone, France)

Recipe taken from Grilled Cheese, Please! by Laura Werlin and provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pimenton de la Vera or Spanish smoky paprika
8 slices sandwich-size Italian bread
8 thin slices Serrano ham (about 3 ounces; or use prosciutto)
4 ounces young Mahon cheese, coarsely grated (or use fontina or American Muenster)
4 ounces manchego cheese, coarsely grated
4 fresh piquillo chiles, stems removed, slit lengthwise, and opened like a book

In a small bowl, mix the butter and pimenton together.

To assemble: Spread the pimenton-butter mixture on one side of each of the bread slices. Place 4 slices of bread, buttered side down, on your work surface. Place 2 slices of ham on the bread. Distribute the cheeses over the ham. Lay the chiles over the cheese and top with the remaining bread slices, buttered side up.

For stove-top method: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches into the pan, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden brown. Remove the cover and turn the sandwiches, pressing each one firmly with a spatula to compress the filling slightly. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the undersides are well browned. Turn the sandwiches once more, press firmly with the spatula again, cook for 1 minute, and remove from the pan. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut in half and serve.

For sandwich maker method: Preheat the sandwich maker. Follow directions for assembly above. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• If there were an International House of Doughnuts, these selections would definitely be on the menu.
• Will the MasterChef cookbook spoil you?
• Learn everything you wanted to know about cod, the fish that saved the world.
• The truth about brain freeze will blow your mind.
• Find out why Top Chef D.C. isn't so trivial.
• Honey, are those blackberries in my grilled cheese?
• Skip Capri for some Napoleonic tomatoes and Parmesan crisps.

When Slashfood first announced the new value meal lineup at Denny's several weeks ago, we had already started planning a field trip to taste test the most extraordinary addition to their menu -- the Fried Cheese Melt, what Denny's refers to as "a grilled cheese with a twist." Here's what it is: Take the classic grilled cheese with sourdough bread and American cheese, then stuff it with four fried mozzarella sticks and serve it with a side of marinara sauce. The $4 value meal is rounded out with a choice of soup or salad and served with a side of French fries.

This sandwich is just the latest addition to the extreme sandwich craze, which has been hitting all kinds of fast-food and restaurant chain outlets. First there was the Double Down from KFC, then the Grilled Cheese Burger Melt from Friendly's, then the foot-long cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. and now this. Due to the extreme nature of this sandwich, we invited Erik Trinidad, Slashfood contributor and creator of Fancy Fast Food, as well as Jake Goodrich, from Asylum.com, along to weigh in and we caught it all on tape.